A typical arrangement of a solid state laser is a cylindrical crystal (also known as a laser rod) with polished faces and one or more lamp sources, such as Xenon flashlamps or laser diodes or other incoherent light sources, providing pumping energy directed at the laser rod. The optically excited laser rod generates and amplifies the lasing energy. A laser resonator is formed by positioning mirrors at either end of the laser rod. A portion of the lasing energy (laser beam) is transmitted through a partially reflective mirror at one end of the laser resonator.